There are smart phone apps, and then there are apps for your phone - that are truly genius.
This is one of the latter.
The San Ramon Fire Department, has, on its own, created an iPhone app that can actually save lives. It works like this: You know CPR.
You sign up, via the app, with that information, and you're entered into a database. If someone is having a heart attack near where you're shopping, eating, etc., and someone has called 911, you'll be alerted, and shown, via Google Maps, where the victim is.
It's a simple, yet totally great way for average citizens to give life-saving assistance to those around them.
The mix of technology and civic involvement is something we all knew was possible, but haven't really seen in action before.
The same technology that tells you a buddy is at a nearby Starbucks, or working out at the local gym, can also tell you that someone is having an attack at a local Home Depot, and in need of assistance. Since studies show you have something like seven minutes to get help to a heart attack victim, this kind of warning - and assistance - can save a lot of lives.
San Ramon Fire Chief Richard Price says he expects this new app to save thousands of lives. If you're feeling even a little bit heroic, give this new app a try. It just might make you, and your phone, a little more useful to the community around you.
